Kevin had no reason to believe Torie was in danger. He noticed she was somewhere in the Middle East, and he had heard loud 'pops' in the background but he hadn't been able to distinguish what exactly the noises were. For all he knew, Torie could be talking to the government over there and they might be popping champange corks in celebration. xD He assumed if Torie was going anywhere dangerous, that she would have told him. But now... he was confused.

"No, you said you were worrying about something regarding my wife. I demand you tell me what it is, Nicole." He folded his arms.
-
John got up and threw an arm around her, mostly for support.
-
"Doubt it. Alex, Heather, Ryan around Kevin? Ella and Alex? Lacey around Torie?" He reminded.

Nicole looked at him, debating what to say. "I just worry about you all. You are more of a family to me than my own family. I tend to worry about those I care about." She replied.
~
Miranda gladly helped him over to the pick up area.

Soon, they heard the copper coming. Janie, Greg, and Torie all dropped off their borrowed weapons, grabbed the bags, and went to throw everything onto the copper.

Miranda helped John into the helicopter.
~
Marissa chuckled. "Yeah....what was I thinking?"

Being single doesn't make you weak, it means that you are strong enough to be on your own; Being alone could be a good thing, because there is no drama involved in your life, no pain, and free to do what ever you want. Life is too short to be chasing those who aren't even worth fighting for, you are worth more than that.

"But to worry over a regular business meeting?" Kevin questioned. "Is there something you're keeping from me, Nicole? Because I don't like it when people hide information from me. If I find that you're not being 100% honest with me, I'll have to fire you. There are honest people out there that would love to work for an Ellingson. I want to be able to trust my employees."
-
Luke shrugged, "It's fine, Marissa. Things'll work out. We'll just have to keep an eye on all these kids." :P

Nicole smiled. "And have I ever given you a reason not to trust me, Mr. Ellingson?" She asked.
~
Soon, Torie and the gang were landing in another base, a much safer one this time, and were rushed onto another plane which was leaving for the States.
~
Oliver was soon barrelling through the door. "MOMMY! DADDY! LOOK WHAT I DID TODAY!" He shouted, as he showed them a picture of his hand looking like a turkey. xD

"Speaking of kids..." Marissa said, chuckling.

((brb, have to run to walmart))

Being single doesn't make you weak, it means that you are strong enough to be on your own; Being alone could be a good thing, because there is no drama involved in your life, no pain, and free to do what ever you want. Life is too short to be chasing those who aren't even worth fighting for, you are worth more than that.

"No. Not yet." Kevin replied quietly. "I suppose you could have told her about what happened between us, or about my drinking, but... I still feel like there's something you're not telling me, and I will find out."
-
Rowan ran inside and hugged her mom and then her dad. "Hi!"

Luke laughed. "I thought we'd have more time. Hey, Rowan!" He gave her a kiss. He turned to Oliver, "That looks great, Ollie! Good job. How'd you make it?"

Nicole shrugged. "You won't find anything, Kevin. And, just to remind you, your wife is paying for me. Not you. If anyone fires me, it has to be her."
~
"I stuck my hand in paint and then SMASHED it on the piece of paper!" He said, demonstrating it by whacking the paper with his hand. xD

Being single doesn't make you weak, it means that you are strong enough to be on your own; Being alone could be a good thing, because there is no drama involved in your life, no pain, and free to do what ever you want. Life is too short to be chasing those who aren't even worth fighting for, you are worth more than that.

Nicole rolled her eyes. That is what you think, Kevin. It is amazing how dense you can be.
~
Oliver smiled proudly and asked, "Can we put it on the fridge?"
~
It the gang another day to get home plus another couple of hours for medical evaluations and debriefs. It wasn't until about 9 pm that Torie was leaving the building. She smiled at her friends. "Janie, Greg, I'll see you guys in a couple days. Miranda, John...I better be invited to your wedding." She said, smiling.

Miranda still didn't look the same. Her eyes were still hollow and she jumped at the slightest sound. Her hand was always somewhere near John, as she felt closest to him and safest. She gave a soft smile. "We would definitely want our family to be there. We will need about a month to plan, anyways." She said, quietly.

Being single doesn't make you weak, it means that you are strong enough to be on your own; Being alone could be a good thing, because there is no drama involved in your life, no pain, and free to do what ever you want. Life is too short to be chasing those who aren't even worth fighting for, you are worth more than that.

Kevin and Aiden, along with Nicole, left his parents house and were just now arriving at theirs. Kevin walked inside with Aiden, letting the help take care of bringing their bags inside.

Aiden ran and hugged Zara. "ZARA! Can you bake me cookies?!"

Kevin glared at Zara, still angry with her for telling Torie about what happened at the bar.
-
John laughed, "Of course you'll be, Tor. One month to the day. Sound alright, Miranda?"

He never asked her what happened to make her so jumpy. He didn't want to bring it up unless she wanted to discuss it. He would never wish to remind her of such trauma. He was perfectly happy being her protector.

Oliver smiled proudly and then hugged his sister. "You wanna go play, Rowan?" He asked, setting his bag on a chair.

Marissa smiled as she watched her son be a big brother.
~
Zara laughed as she ignored Kevin. "You want cookies? What kind of cookies?" She asked, picking him up.

Nicole chuckled and walked out of the room, knowing that Aiden was in good hands.
~
Torie laughed. "Alright. I shall mark it on the calender." She said, getting into her car. "See you all soon." She added, before driving off. She was soon boarding her private jet and headed back home.
~
Janie and Greg got into their car as well. "Yes, see you guys in a little bit. Be careful." Janie said, climbing into the passengers seat.

"Call us if you need anything." Miranda added, climbing into the passengers seat as well.

Greg nodded. "Of course." He said, before driving off.

Miranda leaned against John. "....I love you...." She whispered.

Being single doesn't make you weak, it means that you are strong enough to be on your own; Being alone could be a good thing, because there is no drama involved in your life, no pain, and free to do what ever you want. Life is too short to be chasing those who aren't even worth fighting for, you are worth more than that.